Dog handler Sergeant Richard

Dog handler Sergeant Richard was on a routine patrol in Afghanistan when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated injuring three men. Richard attempted to administer first aid to a colleague when another IED went off and critically injured Richard. The casualties were evacuated to Camp Bastion hospital by helicopter. At Camp Bastion surgeons stabilised Richard enough to get him on an Emergency CCAST flight to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham. DMWS Welfare Officers offered emotional support to the comrades of the casualties when they were updated on the condition of their colleagues who had been brought into the hospital. At a distressing time for the troops, DMWS working in the Field Hospital were able to provide the soldiers with some privacy in the Welfare Department, where they were able to gather their thoughts and reflect. UK based DMWS Welfare Officers met Richard’s family at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and accompanied them to his bedside in the Critical Care Unit, offering moral support and a listening ear.